194: Chapter 194 From this day forward, the roles of offense and defense have reversed!

Silence lasted for a few seconds.

During these few seconds, the hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard; only the low hum emanating from within the silver-white fusion device sounded like the steady heartbeat of an ancient behemoth.

Then, the string in the hall, stretched to its limit, snapped completely.

"It’s a success!"

It was unknown who shouted first.

Immediately after, like a spark falling into a barrel of oil, the entire testing hall was completely submerged in deafening cheers.

"Success! We succeeded!"

"Self-sustaining ignition! It's truly self-sustaining! Without relying on any external energy!"

Dozens of nuclear physics giants, usually steady, reserved, and showing no emotion, had now completely lost their composure.

A white-haired, highly respected old professor snatched off his reading glasses and turned his back, his thin shoulders shaking violently.

He wiped his face hard with his sleeve, but when he turned back, his lenses and cheeks were still covered in uncontrollable streaks of water.

Zhou Changming grabbed the colleague next to him; the two old men, whose combined age was around a hundred and twenty, were now like children who had scored full marks, hugging and patting each other's backs while indistinctly repeating the same sentence.

"It worked... it really worked..."

More people couldn't even manage a complete sentence.

They just clenched their fists tightly, standing in place with their heads tilted back, staring fixedly at the rock-steady red and green curves on the large screen, letting hot tears flow down the furrows of their faces.

Some cried while laughing.

Some laughed while crying.

He Mingde braced his hands firmly on the main control console.

His ten fingers gripped the edge of the console tightly; due to the excessive force, his knuckles had turned pale, and his entire arm was shaking uncontrollably.

The emotions surging in his chest were so intense they felt as if they would tear him apart from the inside out.

He took a deep breath.

And another.

Then, he slowly straightened his back, turned around, and faced the entire room.

A hoarse voice squeezed out of his throat, word by word.

"Energy gain factor... over 20."

"Self-sustaining ignition state... perfectly maintained, the curve is smooth with no fluctuations."

He paused for a beat, his chest heaving violently twice, the veins on his temples bulging.

"I announce—"

"Today's final self-sustaining ignition test... is a grand success!"

He Mingde roared those last four words with every ounce of strength he had left.

The moment this announcement landed, the already explosive hall was pushed directly to an unprecedented emotional peak.

Applause, cheers, crying, laughter...

All the sounds mixed together, converging into a soaring wave of sound powerful enough to lift the roof, echoing and resonating throughout the testing hall.

In the international physics community, there has always been a saying.

"Controlled Nuclear Fusion is always fifty years away."

This sentence, like a curse, has mocked the global physics community for over half a century.

Countless top physicists exhausted their life's energy, charging toward this peak one after another, wanting to break this mockery, but in the end, they could only look up from the foot of the mountain and leave with regret.

But today.

Right here in this not-so-luxurious testing hall, on this calm morning.

This ultimate energy source, which existed only in theoretical models and science fiction movies, was forcibly dragged into reality, truly taking root on this Eastern land!

Along with the cheers, the brilliant minds present uncontrollably and automatically deduced the magnificent picture of the Xia Country civilization about to take flight completely.

Infinite energy!

That is the ticket to the sea of stars!

Everyone knew that today was a day worthy of being recorded in the annals of Xia Country and human history.

To be able to personally participate in this historic project, even if it was just tightening a screw or checking a line of code, was a supreme honor for this group of scientific researchers.

This glory would be enough to make them burst into laughter whenever they recalled every second of today during countless nights in the future.

Amidst the afterglow of ecstasy and emotion.

The gazes of the dozens of people in the hall, as if drawn by some invisible magnetic field, shifted away from that silver-white device in unison.

Together, they converged on one person—

Lin Yuan.

He stood behind and to the side of the main control console, his figure tall and straight, standing with his hands behind his back.

Amidst the hall full of fervor and tears, there was no hysterical ecstasy or arrogance of success on his young face; even his breathing rhythm hadn't faltered in the slightest.

He just stood there quietly, a gentle and profound smile playing on his lips, watching everything with a peaceful gaze.

Dozens of bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at him, the emotions surging in their gazes far exceeding the scope of "admiration" and "gratitude."

Facing the burning gazes of this group of Xia Country's top backbones.

Lin Yuan didn't say much.

Meeting those gazes, a faint smile appeared on his face, and then he nodded with extreme composure.

Just a nod.

No extra words.

But in everyone's eyes, this action carried more weight than any words.

The cheers and excitement lasted in the hall for quite a while before showing signs of subsiding.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Just then, a steady and powerful sound of clapping suddenly rang out.

The applause was neither fast nor slow, yet it carried a soul-piercing power that cut through the remaining noise.

Everyone looked toward the sound.

It was Elder Zhang.

Elder Zhang stepped forward with a pace as steady as a mountain. He scanned the room, his gaze passing over every face covered in tear stains and fatigue.

His tone was steady and full of vigor as he unreservedly gave the highest level of affirmation to everyone's work:

"Everyone, you've worked hard!"

"Through this period of hard struggle, you have used the backbone, sweat, and wisdom of Xia Country's scientific researchers to forcibly smash open a door to the future!"

"You are all heroes of the nation; the country will not forget you, and history will not forget you!"

Immediately after, Elder Zhang's gaze intensified, and his voice suddenly rose, sounding like a great bell:

"The realization of Controlled Nuclear Fusion is of greater significance to Xia Country than Mount Tai!"

"It is the invincible sword with which we sever a century of Western technological hegemony! It is also the cornerstone for Xia Country to truly stand at the top of the world!"

"Its appearance announces that from today onwards, the offense and defense have swapped!"

"Our Xia Country will completely cast off all shackles and, with the unstoppable posture of a king, lead the entire human civilization into a brand-new era!"

"The era where those The Other Side of the Ocean set the rules is about to end!"

"And all of this was fought for with your blood and sweat!"

Hearing these deafening words, all the experts and engineers in the hall felt their blood rush to their heads.

They all proudly straightened their backs and held their heads high.

An indescribable sense of national pride, powerful enough to crush everything, surged and roared wildly within everyone's chests.